iPhone 17 You can buy only one this year, either the iPhone 17 or the Apple Watch Ultra 3. Which one would you choose?

[chmania]

You can buy only one this year, either the iPhone 17 or the Apple Watch Ultra 3. Which one would you choose? Well, of course, you are just an ordinary person, not an extreme athlete.

I'd like to have the Ultra 3, as I wear a watch all day long, but I don't really need to get rid of my Xiaomi Watch S4, which does the job just as well. Plus, it looks like a wristwatch; it's round. The Ultra 3 doesn't resemble a traditional wristwatch; it looks more like an oversized band, but it does look quite nice on the wrist.

I'd also like to have the iPhone 17 (I don't need the Pro or Max), as my iPhone 11 is getting old, but it's still performing well. The only issue is that it's somewhat bulky. I don't usually call many people and rarely access the internet through it.

And, my carrier is offering quite a nice monthly payment plan for each of them, 36 months, and 0%. Quite enticing, even to have both of them, hmm...What would you do?

 

[mmacrumor]

If you are not leaving your phone behind during workout to use the cellular feature of the watch then I think you would be happy with wear OS.

iPhone 17 is a good deal this year compared to other year’s base iPhone

 

[eyoungren]

I have never owned an Apple Watch, there are reasons why I never got one (detailed in many posts here that are unrelated to this thread) and I still don't want one.

Also, I have multiple phones, there are multiple clocks in my house and I have screensavers and clock apps going. Finally, I have the family pocket watch from the 1870s.

So…iPhone 17, thanks.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

I picked up the 17 Pro Max to see if I could use it given my PWM sensitivity and while I do think I could keep it without issue, I’ve decided to return it, stay on my 15 Pro Max, and get the black UW3 with the titanium Milanese loop band. I’m picking it up tomorrow to replace my Apple Watch 7. It just feels like a bigger leap for me and will scratch my tech itch.

 

[bbates123]

Between the 2 it seems like the iPhone 17 is the more necessary choice but if you're budget conscious I would say neither. Get a lightly used iPhone 15 or 16 and an Apple Watch SE, they're really good this year.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Go with the phone. You already have a watch you like, there's no point in replacing that. Your phone, however, came out what 6 years ago? That'll be a huge and appreciable jump.

 

[chmania]

I have never owned an Apple Watch, there are reasons why I never got one (detailed in many posts here that are unrelated to this thread) and I still don't want one.

Interesting! Why don't you want an Apple Watch?

 

[Donkey Man]

iPhone Air.

 

[maerz001]

I had the SE watch for half a year and sold it. I don’t like to baby another item daily with the battery. And I don’t need the notifications on it.
A garmin lasts a week when only used for training.

I also vote for a new iPhone

 

[eyoungren]

Interesting! Why don't you want an Apple Watch?

Remember…you asked.

I will try and be brief (I can only try).

First of all, when the AW was originally launched it did not have the whole medical reputation that it later gained. It was advertised as allowing you to use your iPhone without having to actually carry your iPhone. At the time, I had a job where I was frequently away from my desk for short periods of time and it would have been nice for my iPhone (which was on my desk) to be able to show that I'd gotten a notification. In whatever I was doing I passed my desk frequently and if my iPhone had shown that I'd received a message, I could have checked. As it was, I had to walk over and turn the iPhone screen on any time I wanted to check.

Great reason for an AW right? No. All Apple needed to do was put an LED notification light on the iPhone (or the Apple style equivalent). I would have seen that lit or flashing and I would know I had a notification. Instead, Apple wanted me to purchase an additional device for more $$$ to strap on my wrist. Essentially, the AW is your LED notification light for your phone. I come to iPhone from Windows Mobile and my HTC Touch Pro had an LED notification light in 2009. So, I object to buying another piece of hardware to get the functionality that Apple could but won't build in to the iPhone.

Others will say that the Accessibility feature will flash the camera LED. That's fine, I have it active. But I'm not like others where I lay my phone down on the front. I lay it down on the back, so if that flash goes off I won't see it. The other issue is that it's not persistent. If you don't see the phone when it goes off, you miss that it actually went off.

There are whole threads and arguments buried in this forum about an LED notification light. I have participated in most of them.

Secondly, I'm not sure I want to find out about any 'medical' issues. I can neither afford any huge issues and my blood pressure (which I already take medication for) doesn't need to incur the additional stress this may cause me. I'm being honest here, I really do not want to know. What can I do about X? The fact that I can't do much adds stress.

Lastly, I'm old school. I prefer old style watches. And once my dad gave me the family pocket watch, there wasn't any other watch I need.

 

[ArchEtech]

If you have an iPhone 11, an upgrade to the base 17 would be significant.

Then look for a used or Ultra 2, which would be half the cost of the Ultra 3. The Ultra 1 to be honest is probably an even better buy.

Hrmmm. Get a 16 Pro and an Ultra 1, new old stock. That would probably be less than just buying one of the new 17, and be a huge upgrade for you.

 

[tarsins]

iPhone 17 Pro Max because I'm happy with my Ultra 2.

 

[geta]

No reason to upgrade as long as your devices serve your needs.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

If I was in the market for a device this year and those were the 2 options then it would be the iPhone 17. The Apple Watch Ultra is too big for my wrists so I wouldn't wear it.

 

[chmania]

No reason to upgrade as long as your devices serve your needs.

Sure, I don't like wasting money for bragging rights. One of my grandkids wanted my Xiaomi S4, as it is round and looks like a real wristwatch. That's why I was looking for a watch. The only Apple Watch that resembles a man's watch is the Ultra, but it is too big and too expensive. I bought the Huawei Watch Fit 4 Pro at a quarter of the price directly from Huawei. It has everything Tim Cook boasted about: SOS, ECG, sleep apnea monitoring, and even access to 15,000 golf course maps. I don't play golf, though.

By the way, my iPhone 11 battery has stayed at 81% for the last eight months, even though its charging cycles have surpassed 1,190. I charge it once every two days from 20% to 90%. I think I'll keep the iPhone 11 for a bit longer.